Knitting needle



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0 7 3 :1\1\|.d md ../,llnmd F Patented pr. 11, 195' UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE KNITTING NEEDLE Samuel Baylin, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaApplication April 17, 1946, Serial No. 662,779

(Cl. Bti- 117) 2 Claims. l

The invention relates to a method of making knitting needles and thelike, as described in the present specication and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings that form a part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in eiiecting aiiare to one end of aneedle shank for the purpose of combining with a needle head to completethe needle, or to form its own head, as pointed out broadly andspecically in the claims for novelty following a description containingan explanation in detail of acceptable forms of the invention.

The objects of the invention are to devise a method for economicallymaking a needle head at one end of a needle shank; to increase theproduction of needles by eliminating many steps that are ordinarilyrequired; to effect a positive head to a needle shank which will formapart or become integral with the needle shank; to furnish a method thatmay be used for putting heads on solid or hollow needle shanks; andgenerally to provide a method for making needles that will be simple andeconomical to manufacture.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates the first step in the assembly of the head andshank of the needle.

Figure 2 illustrates the application of the head to the shank.

Figure 3 illustrates the head as squeezed on to the needle shank.

Figure 4 is a side illustration of the completed needle.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional View as taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a top plan View of the needle.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail of a modified form of head that may beused in the assembly.

Figure 8 illustrates a method of forming a head in one end of a needleshank, and illustrates tools forthe purpose.

Figure 9 illustrates this portion in its final stage and in theformation of the head.

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary View i1- lustrating an end of arneedle shank introduced in a washer type of head, preparatory to thecompression stage.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the compression of thehead and needle together.

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate a further modification in the formation ofa head to a needle shank.

Figures 14 and 15 illustrate a further modication for assembling thehead to the needle shank.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the variousgures.

Referring to the drawings, the body of the needle shank is made in theusual manner, hav-` ing a pointed end, and its other end is compressedin any suitable manner for the purpose of forming a flare, and thisflare may be either the head of the needle or may form a means foraiding in securing the needle shank to a predetermined type of head.

It is lobvious that many different styles of heads may be made in thismanner without departing from the formation of the flare at'one end ofthe needle shank, regardless whether the needle is of the solid orhollow type.

The material used to make the needle and theA accompanying head may ofcourse be changed according to circumstances, but an acceptable materialcould be such metals as aluminum or magnesium.

The method of applying a head to aneedle shank is illustrated in Figuresl to 6, and in this form it will be noted the needle Shanks are hollow,but of course they could be solid. One end of the needle shank, asindicated by the numeral 20, is introduced into an aperture 2| of apredetermined type of head 22 having a downwardly converging wall 23 anda top wall 24.`

The end of the needle shank is introduced in the head 22 and abuts theunder surface of the top wall 2li. A punch or other pressure means isapplied to the head 22, which will have the effect of depressing thecentral portion of the top wall 24 and simultaneously causing the wall25 of the needle shank end adjacent to its upper portion, to flareoutwardly and seat itself around the depressed portion of the top wall,at the same time, the downwardly converging wall 23 of the head 22compresses the needle shank wall, causing the ends of the convergingwall 23 to freeze the said needle shank wall in the indentation 26developed by such action, thus finishing a solidly positioned head onthe needle shank.

In Figures 8 and 9, the hollow needle shank 2l is shown as being engagedby a die 28 and a punch 29, the latter adapted to engage with the openend of the needle and by pressure, will are the circumferential edge 3Uoutwardly and laterally to form a flange 3l, and this flange 3| becomesthe head of the needle.

In Figures 10 and 1l, a washer type of head 32 is applied to one end 33of a hollow needle shank, and by means of dies, pressure is exertedthrough the top of the hollow needle and to the washer, the result beingthat the nare 34 thus formed on the needle end will overlap thecircumferential edge of the orifice in the washer through which theneedle shank is introduced, and the washer itself will be shrunk to theneedle end. thereby completing the operation. In this method, the washeris really a flange which encircles the needle end .to become its headand leaving a free passage through the shank.

In Figures 12 and 13 the same procedure is followed as for. thepreviously described applications of thehead, but in this case the head35 is so formed as to serve as a tool in itself when pressure isapplied, and the interior formation is such that a locking recess 36 isprovided to receive the ared top extremity of the needle shank 31 causedwhen pressure is exerted upon same. Naturally, the lower portion of theneedle head is formed and shrunk on to the needle shank by a suitabledie.

In Figures 14 and 15 is shown a somewhat similar shank and head, withthe exception that the stem 38 of the head 39 projects below the bottomwall of the head and into the hollow needle shank for a considerabledistance.

It will be noted from the aforegoing that prior to securing the needlehead to the needle shank it is not necessary for the end of the needleshank to snugly t in the orifice of the head. The orifice of the headmay be considerably larger in diameter than the circumference of theneedle shank and when pressure is applied to the head and the shank thedistortion thus created forces the skirt portion of the head to beimpressed into the surface of the needle shank as well as upsetting theend of the needle shank and thereby completing a permanent fastening ofthe head on the needle shank.

It will be seen from the various modifications as hereinabove described,that the upper end of the needle shank is flared or otherwise distortedto form a gripping surface with the head to be applied, or thedistortion is increased so as to cause the flare to extend laterally andexteri- 4 orly to the shank body in order to make its own head.

What I claim is:

1. A knitting needle comprising a metal shank and a separately formedhollow metal head having a top wall and inwardly inclined side walldeiining an aperture in the underside in which the butt end of saidshank is fitted, the said needle being characterized in that, duringassembly of said shank and head, the top wall of said head is centrallydepressed to flare outwardly the butt end of said shank, and to forcethe wall of said head against said shank, thereby distorting the metalshank and locking the parts together.

2. A knitting needle comprising a shank in the form of a hollow metaltube, and a separately formed hollow metal head having a top Wall andinwardly inclined side wall defining an aperture in the underside inwhich the butt end of the shank is fitted, the said needle beingcharacterized in that, during assembly of the shank and head, the topwall ofthe metal head is centrally depressed to flare outwardly the buttend of the hollow metal tube, and to force the Wall of the metal headagainst the shank, thereby distorting the shank and locking the partstogether.

l `eAMuEL BAYLIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS4

